3971. 'It happened, when Rachel had borne Joseph' means acknowledgement of the spiritual represented by Joseph. This is clear from the meaning of 'bearing' as acknowledging, dealt with in 3905, 3911, 3915, 3919; from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819; and from the representation of 'Joseph' as the spiritual kingdom and so the spiritual man, dealt with in 3969, and therefore as the spiritual; for having its origin in the Lord, the spiritual is that which makes the spiritual man and also the spiritual kingdom what they are. By means of Jacob's sons by the servant-girls and by Leah, the sections prior to this have dealt with the reception and acknowledgement of general truths, and eventually with the joining of those truths to the interior man, and so have dealt with man's regeneration up to and including his becoming spiritual. 'Joseph' is that spiritual man. The present sections coming directly after them deal with the fruitfulness and the multiplication of truth and good, which are meant by the flock which Jacob obtained for himself by means of Laban's flock.

[2] Indeed after the joining of the interior man to the external man has taken place, that is, of the spiritual and the natural, fruitfulness of good and multiplication of truth take place, for that joining together of the two is the heavenly marriage with man. It is from this marriage that such fruitfulness and multiplication spring. This also is why 'Joseph' in the external sense means fruitfulness and multiplication, 3965, 3969, the expressions 'fruitfulness' being used in reference to good, and 'multiplication' to truth, 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847.

3915. 'And let her bear [a child] upon my knees' means acknowledgement by the affection for interior truth, in which affection the joining begins. This is clear from the meaning of 'bearing' as acknowledging in action as well as in faith, dealt with above in 3905, and from the meaning of 'the knees' or the thighs as things which belong to conjugial love, dealt with in 3021, and so to things to do with the joining of the truth of faith to the good of love, since this joining of truth and good is the fundamental marriage in the Lord's kingdom. Thus 'bearing upon my knees' means an acknowledgement of interior truth represented by 'Rachel'. The custom among the ancients of acknowledging as legitimate sons and daughters those who, with the consent of the wife, were borne by servant-girls, and who were born upon their [wives'] knees so that they would be acknowledged as such, was a custom that derived from the Ancient Church whose worship consisted in religious practices which were representatives and meaningful signs of celestial and spiritual things. Since 'bearing' meant the acknowledgement of truth, and 'knees' conjugial love, and so the joining of good and truth from affection, such a practice was followed in that Church when a wife was childless, to prevent her representing the dead who do not rise again to life, in accordance with what was stated just above in 3908.

[2] These words mean in the internal sense a second degree of affirmation or acknowledgement resulting from affection, for affection has to be present in acknowledgement or affirmation if the joining together is to be effected. Indeed all conjunction is effected by means of affection, for without affection truths do not have any life. For example, knowing the truths that the neighbour ought to be loved, and that charity consists in that love, and spiritual life in charity, is no more than knowledge if affection is not present, that is, if there is no desire in the heart for any of this. Without affection these truths have no life, and no matter how well a person knows them he still does not love the neighbour but himself more than the neighbour, and is leading a natural life, not a spiritual one. In his case natural affection has dominion over spiritual affection, and as long as natural affection predominates a person is called 'dead', for the life he has in him is the reverse of heavenly life - heavenly life being true life.